The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-08-17
The Sands OF Sulltvan's Island...Tht
Wfnds...The Tides and the Cause
Thereof

The Sands OF Sulltyan's Island...The
Wfnds...The Tides and the Cause
Thereof
SULL1vAN's ISLAND, August 8, 1887.
Nothing was said in last weeks
letter of the sand that covers "The
Island' to considerable depth. During
the high winds which prevailed for sew
eral DAYS Just past the sand was shifted
from place to place-here and there were
mounds on level with the fence, and
some doors were approachable only on
descending steep bank of soft white
sand. The street cars were frequently
delayed by the track being covered, and
if they passed on time down "The
Island" toward the boat-landing it was
no guaranty that they could return half
hour later and not find the road impassa-
BILE by reason of the quickly changing
sand. Eyes, ears, mouth were generous
ly treated if one ventured to walk abroad,
and housekeepers complained that in
spite of well-covered pots, and great care
in cooking, the food would be gritty even
after all efforts to prevent it. Wooden
side walks facilitate pedestrianism, 9th
erwise one would of necessity he confined
ioy that eXercise-which is made doubly
pleasant here by reason Of the fine ocean
view and the delicious breezes. 1--WE ex-
cept those days when the wind must
have reached the velocity of gale }
Lest some Of your younger readers
should not understand the philosophy of
the sea breeze we would write word OF
explanation. The land receives and loses
it's heat more rapidly than the ocean,
hence during the day as the sun shines
on both, the land atmosphere becomes
lighter than that Of the ocean, and, being
so, rises, while the cooler air of the ocean
rushes in to supply the vacuum. This is
our sea breeze. At night change occurs.
The ocean, losing its heat less rapidly
than the land, is warmer than the CONT
nents, and its atmosphere now rises,
while that of the land moves seaward to
supply the deficiency, thus creating a
breeze from the land toward the ocean.
This little island of ours, however, Is foo
small to demonstrate the truth of these
statements.
Now if you feel wind blowing during
the day and you know it does not come
from the direction of the sea, do not dis
pute this philosophy, for there are many
causes which defect the wind from this
regular course-mountain ranges, the re-
tation of the earth on it's axis, and others.
Possibly there are some among your
youthful readers unacquainted with the
theory of the tides. A few words will,
at any rate, open the subject to them. AS
said last week tho tide rises and GIBBS
twice every twenty-four hours, comiug
in for six hours al d flowing out as long.
We call the moon the satellite of the
earth. In its revolution about us it ex-
erts an attraction upon the earth across a
distance of 240,00 miles. Water being
mobile yields to this attraction, and rises
toward the moon, following it, as 1t were.
The land, stubborn solid, resists this in
fluencc, except the small fraction that is
felt throughout the whole sphere. Now
as the water rises in obedience to the be-
hest of the moon it moves in great swells
across the bosom of the ocean, following
the controlling power. In mid-ocean
these swells are scarcely perceptible, but
when they meet the coasts of the CONT
nents they break upon the shore, climb
higher and higher upon the beaches for
six hours. During the next few hours
the moons influence is exerted upon the
continent adjacent, and the tide is
left to ebb, or flow out. Our satel-
lite is now upon the opposite side of the
earth-twelve hours after our high tide
and while it there raises tide by direct
attraction we have our second tide of the
twenty -four hours by reason of the earth
being drawn away, as it were, from our
ocean, and our waters are left in man.
ner piled up, and roll in upon our beach
es. For the sake of simplicity we said
Just now that twelve hours after our high
tide the moon was on the opposite side of
the earth, but, in reality, it is in advance
of that position, for though the waters OF
the sea yield to the moons attraction they
do not so Immediately, but only at an in
terval of few hours after the moon has
passed above them. Let the interested
student seek All explanation of the fact
that the tide comes in nearly fifty min
utes later on every succeeding day. Yes,
the moon rises later each night by the
same time, but why?
If the shore Of the continent be smooth
and gradually shelving, the tide rises to
the height Of only a few feet, four or five
| if, however, the coast be rocky and pre-
cipitous the effort of the water to yield to
the moons attraction is met by sudden
and sharp resistance, consequently it is
forced to amazing heights, especially il
the coast be deeply indented with narrow
bays and inlets. This is notably the case
in the Bay of Fundy, where the tide
reaches sixty feet.
Enough. VISITOR.